PARIS: He wanted to work on film sets. Instead, he became one of the world's leading interior designers... for planes.
Jacques Pierrejean created the now-famous first class mini suites that Emirates uses in its A380 superjumbos, and has refurbished governmental jets belonging to ex-French and Italian leaders Jacques Chirac and Silvio Berlusconi.
"I'm kind of the grandfather in all this (plane interior design)," the 61-year-old told AFP in a luxury Paris restaurant. "My company is seen as a research lab."
Moneyed people flying first class on Emirates' A380s will remember their experience -- not content with plush seats, the airline has given them entire private suites complete with walls, sliding doors, minibars and vanity tables.
A graduate of Paris arts school Ecole Boulle in 1973, he set up his "Pierrejean Design Studio" two years later after travelling in a plane and noting the ugliness of the interior.
"It's a niche profession. In France, there are only two of us," he said, adding that Britain is far better-versed in the trade, with more companies dedicated solely to plane interior design.
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